Look at your keyboard. It’s filled with keys! Some of them you love using. Some of them you probably rarely use. In Japan, a new survey revealed which ones were totally unpopular among the country’s PC users.
For those who don’t know Japanese, be aware that when people type the language, they use the same QWERTY keys that English speakers use (software converts the touch typing into Japanese characters). The keyboards are slightly different, but on a daily basis, folks in Japan are clacking away on alphabetical characters.
According to a poll of three hundred Japanese men and women (150 men; 150 women) between the ages of 25 and 34, the top five personal computer keys that people don’t really use are:
5. “Insert”
3. “F12” (tied with below)
3. “F6”
2. “F3”
1. “Pause/Break”
The “Pause/Break” key can, as Answers.com points out, launch your system properties. It also was used in DOS commands to pause scrolling and has been used to pause games. These days, it’s not uncommon for some computers to ditch the Pause/Break key entirely.
What about you? Which keys do you rarely use?
PCキーボード「使わないキー」は？ [R25]
Picture: Shutterstock
Comments
21 responses to “These Keyboard Keys Are Not Popular”
The right Control key.
I used to. Back in the days when I played fps with the arrow keys. Now it’s one of the few keys on my keyboard that hasn’t been worked into a glossy shine from repetitive contact.
The 3x/Mail shortcut key above the numpad on my Duck Shine is probably the only key I never use. (Don’t use an email program on my desktop.)
I rarely use plenty of others, but I’m still glad they’re there for when I do. I control Afterburner through the numpad /*-+ keys and use it for number related work.
F keys are often used in games with many controls + a chat system
Hell I type one handed somtimes and end up using right shift to capitalise, or right control for certain shortcuts.
Mind you despite using them I actively despise the F keys, I’ve never used a keyboard where they’re comfortable to reach and if possible I shortcut them to multiple button combinations to avoid having to reach up there.
Scroll lock – seriously what does that even do?
Try it while you’re using Excel. 🙂 Er, then use arrow keys to navigate.
I use f12 all the time. It turns on my frame counter so I know if my comp is running ok or not.
I don’t use scroll lock or pause a lot.
F6, are you kidding. How many gamers were there, that’s a popular key from my memory. Quicksave!
That’s F5. At least with my games and my PC it is.
Thank you, sir. Does F6 load then? Does it prove a point that it’s useful? I’ll go sit in the corner…
Yeah, playing PC games that use the F5 command, I smash it all the time. About loading, I’m not sure, I can’t remember if it is F6 or F8, maybe F8 to avoid accidental presses.
It’s also used to highlight the entire URL so you can quickly type a new URL; use it all the time :S
!!!!! You just changed my whole life. I love you!
*mind blown*
Time spent goofing off reading Kotaku: PAID FOR ITSELF
I’ve always used Ctrl+L. It does the same thing, but I don’t have to reach as far when I’m either going to be typing in an address or hitting Ctrl+C/V anyway.
Good to know 🙂 Thank You.
I’d like to say that stupid key that inexplicably started appearing on keyboards a decade or so ago that shuts down your PC, but my cat seems to get a fair bit of use out of that one.
I use Pause/Break quite a bit, doing a lot of home network related stuff getting in and out of device manager quickly makes that shortcut useful.
All of my F keys get a good hammering from time to time, mostly related to command prompt from startup only because I can’t remember which key triggers it for which version so they all get a turn. Also emulator save states are usually relegated to F keys.
I would have to go with right Alt key, right windows key and the key that opens context menus usually opened with a right click of the mouse.
Death to Caps Lock!
Also, the Insert key is pretty useless.
F1. Help is for weenies.
F3 is Find Next, I use it all the time. Strangely enough, despite my being online quite a bit, my Caps Lock is never used except when I accidentally miss the Tab button (I’m a software engineer, Tab is vital) and then wonder whY ALL MY LETTERs suddenly come up in capitals. What can I say? I don’t like to shout.